Esoteric Trumpism?
Dec. 30th, 2023 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ecosophia
I was intrigued and a little bewildered the other day to field a note from a correspondent letting me know about a book that will be published early next year by the Traditionalist publishing house Arktos Press. The title is Esoteric Trumpism, the author is Constantin von Hoffmeister, and this is the blurb:"'Esoteric Trumpism' delves into the profound and often unexplored dimensions of Donald Trump’s political journey, presenting it as a pivotal moment in the grand narrative of Western civilization. Through the lens of Oswald Spengler’s cyclical theory of history, the book explores Trump as a Faustian figure, striving against the tide of decline, embodying the spirit of American exceptionalism and the fierce battle for national identity.
"Infused with a blend of Lovecraftian mystery and the barbaric glory of Robert E. Howard, 'Esoteric Trumpism' offers a unique, philosophically rich perspective on Trump’s era, blending biblical motifs, apocalyptic imagery, and historical parallels to frame his presidency as a critical turning point in the saga of the West. A scholarly and artistic analysis, styled in a poetic manner, it offers an intriguing exploration of Trump’s unconventional approach to leadership."
Hmm. I'm intrigued to note that it sounds remarkably like a certain other book on the esoteric dimensions of Donald Trump's ascent to power, which also has quite a bit to say about Oswald Spengler and a certain, shall we say, Lovecraftian quality about it...Now it's quite possible that, though the blurb doesn't make this clear, von Hoffmeister's book is a response to my thesis from a Traditionalist standpoint. I'd welcome such a response, not least because (unlike too many of their opponents these days) Traditionalists are by and large historically and culturally literate and can reason from a premise to a conclusion. While I'm not a Traditionalist, or even particularly Traditionalist-adjacent, I consider the Traditionalist challenge to modernity worth thoughtful consideration and response. Thus I'd like to see what the Trads have to say about the points I raised in The King in Orange. (I'll be contacting them shortly to ask for a revlew copy.)
Of course there's a further dimension to all this, and to judge by his choice of title, von Hoffmeister knows this perfectly well. Those of my readers who know their way around the far right will be familiar with the Chilean diplomat and writer Miguel Serrano, who published a series of books focusing on his philosophy of Esoteric Hitlerism. In recent decades that's become a significant ideology on the fringes. If von Hoffmeister's suggesting a similar dimension to the Trump phenomenon, I'll want to see what he has to say about it -- and try to gauge where the current weirdness in US and world politics seems to be going...
Update 1/1/2024:
I've just heard from Constantin von Hoffmeister, who got my address via my email to his publisher. He wasn't aware of my book at all! His email was brief, so I don't know the details yet, but I gather he was simply struck by many of the same points I was. This is fascinating...
(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-30 06:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-30 10:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-01-10 08:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-01-10 10:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-30 06:27 pm (UTC)Now I might have to buy your book and read it, because the f$%#wad looks to be the likely candidate for the GOP and I will be entertained by how it works out this time relative to the way it turned out last time .
Now for the request: Would you, of your own courtesy, please give us a couple of questions that you answered in King Orange that you feel the "traditionalists" might have significantly different answers than the ones you provided? A hint about their probable refutations or differences might also be welcome.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-30 10:22 pm (UTC)Q
Date: 2023-12-30 11:55 pm (UTC)Kevin Kruse's data for the USA shows that the US wasn't very religious in the 19th century, wereas religion was at its peak in the mid 20th century (his argument is it was a propaganda effort against the new deal), and the US is now reverting to its norm.
I'm presuming you thus mean that these people are a part of the second religiosity of the old continent (faustian civilization), and the US is heading somewhere else? This would imply that the Caesarianism timeline might not apply here since its already expended in Europe in the 20th century.
I know Spengler believes otherwise, but I don't think the map is fitting in very well.
Re: Q
Date: 2024-01-01 05:15 am (UTC)TKIO
Date: 2023-12-30 06:46 pm (UTC)Re: TKIO
Date: 2023-12-30 10:24 pm (UTC)Re: TKIO
Date: 2023-12-31 10:47 am (UTC)With due respect to you, I have to disagree with your assessment of the Israeli-Palestinian war.
(1) In my view Israel and its underlying ideology zionism is a late european colonial enterprise and thus the Jewish part is principally Faustian. Do not forget that at the zionist congresses of late 19th century, Palestine was narrowly voted as a Jewish homeland. The vote could well have been different. It is well known that many early zionists were atheists or non-religious.
(2) Furthermore, consider that up to 15% of Palestinians are Christians and that as far as I know the Quran does not make any clear cut assertions about who should live in that part of the Middle East. Consider that until quite late (by the 1990's) Palestinian resistance was primarily secular and still is. Hamas and other religious resistance groups came in very late into the game and are not the dominant group, though the current war is changing that to some degree.
(3) I am very surprised by your assertion that the conflict is in nature religious. After all, the core problem was that a group of europeans decided to settle on a piece of land and evict the locals as far as possible. However the locals were not agreeable to that part.
(4) Where I agree with you is that it is an old story: that of conquest, invasion and subjugation. The religion of the invaders providing a veneer of respectability.
Regards
Re: TKIO
Date: 2024-01-01 12:33 am (UTC)Re: TKIO
Date: 2024-01-01 12:07 pm (UTC)There was no "sibling rivalry" before Zionism, in fact. Through history, Christians always seemed to have a bigger problem with Jews than Muslims did.
More generally, when there's a conflict between two sides one of which has a more just cause than the other, it's always frustrating to see it represented as just a squabble between two people that just don't want to get along and are bothering everyone else with it.
Re: TKIO
Date: 2024-01-02 02:52 am (UTC)FWIW:
A number of years ago at work I supported one of our divisions which had been a company located in Israel before my company bought it. As a 'thank-you' for all our help, the Israeli division VP sent us pretty plaques which included little maps of our county (in our USA state), and of Israel. I noticed pretty quickly that the map of Israel did not include the "nibbles" of the Gaza Strip and West Bank; it was just a simple wedge shape.
This implied that annexing those lands has been a long-standing desire of many Israelis. Thus I'm not too surprised that Israel seems determined to obliterate the Gaza Strip. I think that's what they're actually doing, or trying to do if they can get away with it.
- Cicada Grove
Re: TKIO
Date: 2024-01-02 04:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-30 08:32 pm (UTC)(A previous attempt at a comment didn't seem to go through. If it did, you can delete it.)
(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-30 10:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-31 10:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-01-01 12:30 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-01-01 09:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-01-02 04:06 pm (UTC)Could be intriguing
Date: 2023-12-30 10:57 pm (UTC)https://www.eurosiberia.net/p/postmodern-phantasmagoria
Taking my time to read these now. I am now pondering some of the implications of the two frames of reference.
You got me curious
Date: 2023-12-30 09:45 pm (UTC)https://www.eurosiberia.net/p/nietzsche-in-innsmouth?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Re: You got me curious
Date: 2023-12-30 10:25 pm (UTC)Re: You got me curious
Date: 2024-01-01 07:38 pm (UTC)His article on Mithras and Jesus was also good
(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-30 10:06 pm (UTC)https://www.eurosiberia.net/.
From nosing around just a bit, no, he is not doing the same thing with the Trump phenomenon that you are - and yes, I'd be surprised if there aren't parallels with the esoteric Hitlerism you referenced.
Whatever else, I cannot imagine anyone doing a blurb on his writing and referring to his sense of humor or perspective. The cover to your book, and your approach, has a sense of lightness. His approach feels dead serious.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-30 10:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-31 03:21 am (UTC)Putinizing Trump
Date: 2023-12-31 06:07 am (UTC)Some Synchronicity in the images. Putin likewise being a pivotal figure in casting off the pseudomorph form.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-31 08:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-31 07:54 pm (UTC)I saw a meme the other day that I thought particularly pointed. It said, simply, "please note that none of Donald Trump's accusers or, witnesses against him, have died suddenly or committed suicide."
It took me a beat then I loled.
AV
Comparable Graphics
Date: 2023-12-31 01:55 pm (UTC)Ron M
Re: Comparable Graphics
Date: 2024-01-02 01:57 am (UTC)Oh, but Ron....as an artist into book covers, I IMMEDIATELY DID!
Papa's been an absolute gentleman about it all with unfurling all that benefit-of-the-doubt, and likely sees it as amusing and flattering because It's Working.....
X
Erika
Re: Comparable Graphics
Date: 2024-01-02 03:48 am (UTC)I tend to notice these things because three decades ago I was briefly in the ‘magazine biz’ including graphic design. My artistic views tend to be highly idiosyncratic and so I try not to tempt others to ride my hobby horse. Also, it is hard to tell these days to what degree the authors have a voice in deciding or influencing the cover art of their books (not as though more subtle or unconscious factors may be at play). Hence, I left an open-ended interpretation as my comment.
What’s that saying about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery? 😉
Ron M
Re: Comparable Graphics
Date: 2024-01-02 04:04 pm (UTC)Exactly!
And Happy New Years, dear Ron-
X
Erika
Re: Comparable Graphics
Date: 2024-01-02 07:04 pm (UTC)May you be abundantly blessed!
Ron M
(no subject)
Date: 2023-12-31 11:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-01-01 03:56 pm (UTC)https://twitter.com/Jason_Jorjani/status/1734264078049145290
He seems to have a political agend and be an ultra-progressive, to be frank I liked his work on ancient Persia.
He seems to have a vision much clearer than his peers.
Jorgani
Date: 2024-01-01 09:04 pm (UTC)His promethian philosophy is pretty much an evolution of enlightenment liberalism applied to the future and parapsychology would be, and he seems to care about pushing humanity and humany agency forward and preventing it from reverting to oligarchic states of organisation (something I agree with).
Unfortunately I think his own original theorising is weak, but his analysis of other thinkers, history (persia as you say) etc is very good.
This is an interesting discussion on phenomenology and reality for example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSs3dm3OxlQ
(no subject)
Date: 2024-01-02 07:34 pm (UTC)https://mansworldmag.online/esoteric-trumpism/
This may say something about at least part of their projected audience.
If you do check out that site it is worth glancing at their Manifesto page... though you might want to have lactase supplements handy depending on your cheese tolerance.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-01-02 09:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-01-03 09:41 pm (UTC)BTW Jason Reza Jorjani is also fond on using AI both Stable diffusion and Generative AI
Been Reading a book on Vico
Date: 2024-01-04 06:41 pm (UTC)Current Candidate = Semiotics
Why I am asking here is that, and I admit that this might well be completely off-base, chaos magic may well be studied effectively by using the tools of semiotics.
I am convinced that magic exists. What I am not convinced of is the idea that humans can manipulate it in a predictable manner. But I have spent half of my life being wrong.
Vico states that one can only know what he creates.